"Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad."
- author unknown.
On this Father's Day, I want to acknowledge a few fathers that have been a part of my life.
My dad's name was Sam, and we lost him to suicide on October 22, 1986. He lived with a lot of pain all his life, and passed a lot of that pain on to those that loved him. I've held a lot of anger towards him for many years, but as I age, I've learned more about mental illness and am working on accepting him for who he was. I wish I would have understood him more when he was here. I'm thinking of you today, Dad, and I love you for who you were.
Then there's my Uncle Pete. He's always been there for me. I've never felt judged, nor been criticized by him. He knows my faults, yet loves me anyway. He's always accepted me for me. He's the dad I didn't have. He is currently in the hospital because he's had two heart attacks. I pray for him everyday. I love you, Uncle Pete. Come home soon, ok?
My son-in-law, Cameron, has been dealt with way more than a young father should ever have to face. He has given me a beautiful grandson, Charleston. Through all of the trials of being a dad to an SMA baby, he continues to love his son and my daughter, and I love him for that.
I put the saying at the top of my blog in honor of the next dad I want to write about. His name is Warren Moldovan, and he is "dad" to my daughter, Ashley. I met Warren when I was 19 years old, and he and his wife, Linda, have been part of our family ever since. We've raised our kids together, celebrated together, experienced deaths together, fought, made up, cried together, and laughed together. Throughout it all, he has loved Ashley, or "half pint", as he calls her. He stepped up to the plate the DAY we found out about Charleston, and became Ashley's "dad." He has been here, right along with Linda, for every single step of the way in our journey with SMA. He was at the hospital for Charleston's surgery, holding her up. He's raced to Reno from the Bay Area at literally a moment's notice more than once. He's been at every single fundraiser. He loves my daughter and my grandson, and continues to give her strength and support when she needs it. And I love him for it. Thank you, War, for being there for us.
So to these men...............CHEERS TO YOU................you are all in my heart forever.
Happy Father's Day.
